The Wedding Planner
by freekie
Summary: Bella and Edward are about to be married, but Bella is freaking out ... just a bit. What she really wants is to visit Jacob ... but that could ruin everything. Can Alice and the Cullens manage to turn everything around? BellaxEdward R&R!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Stephenie Meyer's Twilight.**

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"_Isabella Swan? I promise to love you forever – every single day of forever. Will you marry me?"_

" _... Yes."_

"_Thank you."_

**s2 s2 s2 s2**

"_Bella?"_

"_What's wrong, Alice?"_

"_Don't you love me?"_

"_Of course I do. You know that."_

"_Then why do I see you sneaking off to Vegas to get married without inviting me?"_

"_You know how I hate to make a big deal out of things. It was Edward's idea anyway."_

"_I don't care whose idea it was. How could you do this to me? I love you like you were my own sister."_

"_To me, Alice, you_are_ my sister."_

"_Please, please, please! Please, Bella, please – if you really love me ... Please let me do your wedding."_

"_Aw, Alice! No! Don't do this to me!"_

"_I'll owe you for a decade."_

"_You'd owe me for a century!"_

"_Yay!"_

"_That's _not_a yes!"_

"_But it will be!"_

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**Bella**

I sat on the hood of Alice's bright yellow Turbo 911 (being careful about the zipper on my sweatshirt – Alice would be furious if I scratched the car), dreading The Day. I couldn't believe that I had agreed to this. I just knew Alice would go overboard, Edward would be annoyed because I'd be annoyed, and I would still be stuck walking down the aisle, drowning in lace, fancy music, and white roses instead of the desired grungy, casual, drive-through chapel in Las Vegas.

I was getting married – ugh.

Of course, Edward was probably secretly happy that everything would be elegant and traditional. Alice was already ecstatic – she absolutely loved parties, on any occasion, and all the planning that came with it. Esme just wanted to see Edward happy. Carlisle would want whatever Edward wanted. Rosalie would be upset, since the wedding marked some of my last moments as a human, but I didn't know if I'd ever win Rosalie over. Emmett was ... Emmett. He would be happy for us, regardless – he would think the whole thing was hilarious. And that's all I wanted. For the Cullens, Edward and Alice especially, who had done so much for me, to be happy. But still ... I vaguely twisted the delicate ring that now hung, heavy as if the glittering jewels were lead rocks, on my middle finger.

No, I wasn't getting cold feet or any other second thoughts. I knew I was going through with this, or else I wouldn't be wearing the Golden Wedding Band of Doom. I loved Edward with everything I had.

So why was I so uncertain about everything? Why did this cloud hang over my head, growing steadily blacker with every day, threatening to burst and ruin everything? All my dreams were about to come true in just two weeks. Why did I feel like there was half a hole in my chest, like part of me was ripped away?

I knew the answer to all these questions. In fact, all these questions had the same, two word answer.

Jacob Black.

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**Edward**

I watched Bella from behind the door of the garage, . She was playing with it again – the engagement ring I had presented her with a couple of months ago. I knew what this newly developed habit meant: she was thinking. Hard. And, more likely than not, it was about something difficult, stressful, or painful.

I longed again, with everything I had, for the ability to read her thoughts. I knew, however, that Bella would rather I stay out of her head, and I thought I could guess what she was thinking about, anyway. No matter how impossible their relationship might be, no one would be able to get that infernal werewolf out of her head. Nor did I really want them to – her friend mattered too much to her for her to forget. How strongly she would be opposed to him after she was changed, I didn't know.

Sadness and confusion were just two of the emotions I could see behind Bella's troubled brown eyes. Even without reading her thoughts, I'd had a hundred years of experience with reading faces. I knew, deep down, she was excited about the wedding, that she wanted to go through with this (otherwise she'd never have agreed to it), but also that she wasn't exactly jumping for joy about being married. She cringed whenever anyone said the word "engaged."

How much was Bella dreading the wedding, after all? Was I forcing her into it? Not just a lifetime – no, much longer than that – an eternity of hell, but the added torture of always being tied to another person?

Maybe she really would have been better off with that ... dog.

**s2 s2 s2 s2**

**Alice**

I was happy that Bella liked the dress. Ecstatic, of course, that she understood the meaning and the horror of the words "off-the-rack". And utterly euphoric that I was her maid of honour.

But did Bella really like the dress for herself, or was she just saying that? The first words she said ... "It's beautiful. It's just right for him." Just right for _him_. Did she think nothing of her own preferences? It was her wedding, after all. She was the one wearing the dress.

I knew she wasn't exactly as elated as I was about the wedding. I noticed her expression when anyone talked about it. And I still saw visions of her suddenly changing her mind and eloping to Vegas with Edward. But they were always short-lived, and much less frequent than they had been a month ago. I wasn't worried. Bella would _never_ bail on me, not this close to the event.

But lately, she seemed ... miserable. I knew she must be thinking of the werewolf, and that she occasionally planned to run away and visit La Push (since her future would periodically vanish). But ... I was a little ... scared, honestly, to talk to her. What if she finally grew frustrated with us keeping her prisoner and ran away forever? Edward would never forgive me, and I don't think I would forgive myself.

Bella was trying too hard. Trying too hard to forget Jacob, trying too hard to make everyone around her happy, and trying too hard to prevent herself from running off to the Quileute reservation. She needed to calm down, stop trying, and just ... go with the flow for awhile. I had told her, after all, that she wouldn't have to do anything except walk a (very) short distance and repeat a few words. She didn't have to worry about a thing. But she was worrying anyway. I hated to see people I loved worrying.

But what could I do about it?

**s2 s2 s2 s2**

**Jacob**

Even two months later, I could still feel the hurt. I felt the dull, aching pain that came from the knowledge that Bella, my Bella, was going to be married to _him_.

_"He's like a drug for you, Bella." _ I had told her.

Damn that cold, unfeeling, leech.

_"I see that you can't live without him now. It's too late."_

Damn right, it was.

_"But I would have been healthier for you. Not a drug; I would have been the air, the sun." _

Yes, it was too late. Too late for me to fall out of love with Bella Swan. Too late to rescue her from the grasp of those bloodsuckers, so intent on taking the human life out of her. And too late to save her from the future that she so desperately wanted. Yes, I knew she wanted it.

And it was true; I would have been her air, her sun. I would be anything she wanted. I hadn't imprinted – somehow, I could feel that. But I was still so deeply in over my head that nothing could ever stop me from tripping, head over heels, smashing my face into the pavement. She was already my air, my sun. Was she really happier with him? Although it killed me to say it, I knew she was. If only the bloodsuckers could have chosen a different town to live in ... Bella and I could have been something. We would have been something.

Damn those bloodsuckers, the ones that had stolen my Bella's heart. Damn them to hell, just where they should have been a hundred years ago.

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**A.N: Please, please, please, (if you really love me!) R&R!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: **I AM SO SORRY. I know it took a long time ... I've been busy. But here's chapter two. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, or any of the characters in these books. Sadly.

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**Bella**

"So, Bella, what do you think? ... Bella?" Alice gazed at me with her wide, butterscotch eyes, concern filling her expression. "Are you okay?"

"What?" I shook myself and turned to look at Alice. She was dressed in her maid of honour outfit for the wedding, looking stunning as usual. The dress was a sandy gold, sort of satin-y material, bringing out her topaz eyes beautifully. Thin spaghetti straps hung elegantly on her pale shoulders, and layers of folded ribbon encircled her petite figure, just below the bodice. Alice was gorgeous.

"Oh," I gasped, momentarily distracted. "Alice, you look _fantastic!_"

"Thanks," she answered, looking slightly skeptical. She could guess what – or who – I was thinking of.

"What else have you got planned?" I asked hastily, trying to divert her with the knowledge that once she got going, she wouldn't stop.

"Well, I was thinking white freesia in the bouquet, white orchids and lilies to decorate the house, and more lilies in the church." Alice looked slightly cheered. "For hors d'oeuvres ..."

As Alice kept planning, my thoughts started wandering again. I hadn't spoken to Jacob ever since I visited him after the battle. I knew I had to, but I just couldn't forget him. I knew that he was one soul mate too many, and I couldn't have both Edward and Jacob, especially with what was happening. I found myself wishing I had sent him an invitation to the wedding, but ... I wasn't sure if I could handle that. Or if he could handle it. I wasn't about to make him feel obligated to do anything: I had already messed up his life enough, and it would be better if he just forgot me. I knew he wouldn't, but I wasn't about to make it worse.

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**Jacob**

I got into my VW Rabbit and shut the door with a slam. I would need a new car soon – my wolfish growth spurt left me four sizes too big for the car. I shoved the key into the ignition and turned the key. I didn't care about the damn treaty. I had to see Bella. Slamming my foot down on the gas, I smiled grimly as the wheels spun wildly, sending pebbles shooting onto the trees behind.

I almost made it.

"Jacob!"

I got as far as twenty feet away from the house. I stomped on the brake, not caring about the painful lurch it caused. Sam Uley, flanked by my two supposed best friends, Quil Ateara and Embry Call, stood in front of the car. The three looked identical – irate stance, crossed arms, and all with an expression on their faces that told me they were ready to tear the Rabbit apart, if it came to that.

"What are you doing?!" Sam growled.

"Going out," I answered evasively. It was pointless, I knew. He already knew what I was doing; he wouldn't have tried to stop me otherwise.

"Get your head straight, Jake!" pleaded Quil. "You know you can't –"

"I know!" I yelled furiously. "I just – I need – she – you –" Everything in front of me was rapidly turning red. I felt my body shaking violently. If I phased now, the Rabbit really would be torn apart, without the help of the other three.

"Cool it, Jake," Sam cautioned immediately. His voice was emotionless.

"Whatever." Already I was sort of calming down. The car stopped vibrating and my vision cleared. Slowly, I opened the car door and got out, slamming it shut again as hard as I could. There was a crunching sound, and I looked back to see a long, deep fissure in the glass. I couldn't bring myself to care.

Wordlessly, I let Sam, Embry, and Quil lead me back to Sam and Emily's. They knew what I was feeling. There was no need to say anything.

**s2 s2 s2 s2**

**Edward**

I was still having doubts.

Bella had barely spoken in the past week, unless she was spoken to. Alice was too busy and excited to really notice that Bella's eyes glazed over whenever Alice began talking about the wedding. Now, Bella and I sat together on the large bed that still occupied my bedroom. Alice and Esme were out shopping for the wedding and Jasper, Emmett, and Carlisle were hunting. We were as alone as we would ever be.

"Bella?" I asked softly, hesitantly. I wasn't sure I wanted to hear the answer.

"Yeah?"

"What ..." I breathed in deeply. Her brown eyes gazed caringly at me, waiting for the question. "What are you thinking?"

"It's ... nothing," she answered, too quickly, turning her head away.

"Please," I whispered. "I can take it." My heart broke with my next words. "If you wanted ... to leave –"

She snapped around to look at me. "No." I opened my mouth to speak, but her expression was firm. "No, Edward. We've been through this already. I'm not leaving you." She sighed. "I just really want to see him." Her voice was quiet, and I could hear the pain behind the words.

There was nothing I could say that I hadn't said before.

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**Alice**

Something had to be done about Bella Swan.

"Esme," I complained as we browsed around for makeup and hair products. "Bella is being so uncooperative."

"Well, she does miss Jacob," Esme said reasonably.

I heaved a sigh. "I wish we had never left." And so did Edward, I knew. "Can't I do anything to get her mind off that ... dog?"

"Why don't you just talk to her about it? I'm sure that would help more than anything else."

"I guess," I grumbled. I had been thinking more on the lines of a girl's day out, complete with shopping and then going to a fancy spa for manicures and pedicures. It wouldn't do anything for me, obviously, but it might relax Bella. But Bella had never enjoyed that kind of thing, anyway. _That_ was beyond my understanding. I really didn't want to confront her – what if the conversation we might have changed her mind? Edward would blame it all on me, and so would I. I knew none of us would stop her from going, but ... none of us wanted her to leave. Even Rose was warming up to her.

"I'll talk to her when we get back." I decided reluctantly. No matter how much I didn't want to, I knew I had to.

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**R&R please!  
**


	3. Chapter 3

This one is the tiniest bit different - Jacob's part takes place a bit later, while Edward's, Alice's, and Bella's happen at relatively the same time.

I know Edward's character seems kind of angst-y and otherwise pointless, but bear with us - he'll have a big role later on.

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, or any of the characters or songs.

**s2 s2 s2 s2**

**Edward**

One more day. Just one long day before Bella and I became irrevocably (not that we weren't already), surely, and officially together.

I wasn't nervous. Not at all ... alright, a little.

Maybe a lot.

Right now, Bella was with Alice, going over the vows she had written. I had finished long ago - I began almost as soon as she accepted me.

I could see in Bella's eyes that she was having second thoughts, no matter how much she denied it and swore to stay forever. I knew that she would most likely stay, with the way she had talked to me just a week before. Her words were still in my head, along with her defiant expression and resolute tone.

"_No, Edward. We've been through this already. I'm not leaving you."_

She'd said it uncountable times before. But... still. I was unsure. A life without her with me was almost unimaginable.

I plucked a CD at random from the shelf and put it into the sound system. Music floated around me.

_I'm sorry that I hurt you  
It's something I must live with everyday  
And all the pain I put you through  
I wish that I could take it all away  
And be the one who catches all your tears  
That's why I need you to hear  
_

It shocked me how much the words fit.

_  
I've found out a reason for me  
To change who I used to be  
A reason to start over new  
and the reason is you._

The lyrics swirled around in my head as I envisioned Bella's reaction to the words. Tears? Smiles? Her face would flush bright red, for sure - her normal reaction to almost everything. A reaction that used to cause me pain, but I knew that the pain, any pain for her, would always, always be worth it.

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**Bella**

A snap decision. I knew that's what it would take. So I had been trying hard as I could not to think about it - I hadn't resolved to do anything. Not yet. But there was only one more day to go - I had to act today. I was profoundly glad Edward couldn't read my thoughts - I would have been chained up unless I didn't think about it, and even though I was trying, I couldn't _not_ think about it.

Alice and I were reviewing the vows she had helped me to write - I was no good with the words. I was practically shaking from nervousness. It was hard to believe that I would have to stand up at the front of a church tomorrow, pouring my heart out to Edward. Which was fine, until you factored in all the other people who would be watching.

It was also hard to believe that I was leaving, even for the short time period of one afternoon. I wasn't leaving forever, and I hoped Edward knew that enough not to worry too much. They would know where I was. And I hoped that he knew I was coming back.

I remembered a song I'd heard on the radio once. The lyrics really stood out now.

_I am a hostage to my own humanity  
Self detained and forced to live in this mess I've made  
And all I'm asking is for you to do what you can with me  
But I can't ask you to give what you already gave_

_Cause I've been housing all this doubt and insecurity and  
I've been locked inside that house, all the while you hold the key  
And I've been dying to get out and that might be the death of me  
And even though, there's no way in knowing where to go, promise I'm going because  
I've gotta get outta here  
I'm stuck inside this rut that I fell into by mistake  
I've gotta get outta here  
And I'm begging you, I'm begging you, I'm begging  
you to be my escape._

It was so true. I would have left that second - but Alice wasn't finished with me yet.

**s2 s2 s2 s2**

**Alice**

Alright. The moment of truth.

"Bella?" I asked sweetly.

"Yes?" she replied, just a little hesitantly.

"You know I'm always here for you, right?"

"Of course." Bella's expression was confused. Probably she was wondering why I brought this up.

"And if there's anything you want to talk about ... I'm here, and I'm listening to you."

Her face softened. "Thanks, Alice. I know."

"And if you want to leave, even if just for a day," I continued, "I won't try to stop you." At that, I saw a hint of guilt spark in her eyes. She had been planning something, after all. "I'd even go with you, if I didn't know that they would tear me apart."

Bella flashed a smile. "Who's 'they', the wolves or Edward?"

I smiled, too. "The wolves." The smile faded as I thought. "You know that Edward wouldn't try to stop you either, Bella. All he wants - and the rest of us do too - is for you to be happy. He's willing to end his existence for you. He would gladly tear Jacob apart if you asked him to. And if Jacob was in trouble and you wanted him saved, Edward would do it for you without hesitating a moment, even thought they are natural enemies. If all you wanted was ice cream, at any hour of the day or night, he would get it for you."

Her face crumpled. "I know that, too." A tear leaked out of her eye. "Why do you think this is so hard for me? I just feel so selfish, all the time. Both of them were willing to risk their lives and their friend's lives for me. Edward is willing to just let me go, no matter how much we both know it kills him. Jacob is almost as willing, even though it makes him suffer, and eleven other people suffer with him." More tears were falling now. She just put her face in her hands and sobbed.

All I could do was put my arm around her and give her the advice I knew I had to tell her. "It's okay, Bella. Go see him. You need this, and so does he. It won't hurt him as much as you think. Maybe it will even help him get closure. Go."

She just nodded.

_It's on your face, is it on your mind_

_Would you care to build a house of your own?  
How much longer, how long can you wait  
It's like you wanted to go and give yourself away._

_Heaven forbid you end up alone and don't know why.  
Hold on tight, wait for tomorrow, you'll be alright._

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**Jacob - one hour later.  
**

There are no words to describe the feelings that rushed straight from my feet all the way to the tops of the trees when I heard it. The second most beautiful sound in the world.

I would recognize it anywhere - the deafening rumble of an old red truck. I thought I was dreaming.

And then - just moments later - the first most beautiful sound in the world sounded in my ears. A sound I thought I would never hear again in my lifetime, calling my name.

"Jacob!"

"Bella?" I took off like a shot out the door. That face, so familiar, so beautiful, smiling like nothing had ever happened, shone up at me. "Bella!"

She flew towards me, her long brown hair flying. She flung her slender arms around me - being human, she was so adorably weak - and squeezed me. I wrapped my arms around her too, enjoying the closeness while it lasted. I was learning not to get my hopes up too high. I'd be fine.

_  
Let's say take a break from the day  
And get back to the old garage  
Because life's too short anyway  
But at least it's better then average  
As long as you got me  
And I got you  
You know we've got a lot to go around  
I'll be your friend  
Your other brother  
Another love to come and comfort you_

**  
**"You don't know how good it feels to be back, Jake," Bella said, facing towards the lake and closing her eyes. The midday sun shone down on her face, illuminating her almost translucent skin, lighting up her chestnut hair. She seemed almost to glow.

_And I'll keep reminding  
If it's the only thing I ever do  
I will always love  
I will always love you_**.**

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**EDIT: I was reading through it again when I realized I forgot to credit the songs. oO  
**  
Edward: The Reason - Hoobastank  
Bella: Be My Escape - Relient K  
Alice: Heaven Forbid - The Fray  
Jacob: Song For A Friend - Jason Mraz  
**  
(I'm proud to say I only took two of the songs from Stephenie Meyer's playlist.)  
**

**R&R please!**


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